Generally, on a single location film, the protagonist is in a closed room for various reasons. The claustrophobic impression is often the main weapon fishing tension. The Wall by director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs Smith, Edge of Tomorrow) derived from one of the manuscripts in the Black List (2014) of Dwain Worrell's article raises the opposite situation. Rather than the confines of the enclosed spaces, the arid desert landscape in Iraq becomes a place with a brittle wall of former schools as the character's life-and-death separator.
In the middle of the Iraq War, Sergeant Allen Isaac (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Chief Sergeant Shane Matthews (John Cena) were investigating the construction site of the pipe where the massacre occurred to workers and security guards. After a null 22 hour event, they state the situation is safe and the offender has gone. But when Matthews was about to pick up a radio belonging to one of the victims, a mysterious shooting bullet hit him. Isaac's efforts to save his colleagues were shot, and even his radio and bottle were destroyed. Hiding behind a wall, Isaac realizes his opponent is Juba (voiced by Laith Nakli), a sniper who has brought death to 35 American warriors, Maintaining intensity is the biggest challenge for one location film. The impression of monotonous-prone arises, especially when other ammunition in the form of figures are not how many. With Matthews spending the majority of his time lying dying and Juba only we hear his voice, practically a burden is on Isaac's shoulder. The actor, Aaron Taylor-Johnson performs strongly expressing despair, furiously struggling with pain as he racked his brain for a way out of "cage". The post-first act of perfunctory just functioning leads the main character into the trap, the second half of The Wall filled with Isaac chat with Juba while occasionally featuring Isaac who tried to set the strategy.
Worrell describes his manuscript as "a simple conversation that may occur on a New York park bench between two people playing chess." Worrell used the talks of his two figures to build a psychological side, as well as insinuating the United States as the invaders in Iraq. The second point is quite successful. We are brought to see whatever Isaac's plan, Juba is always one step ahead, even preparing for some surprises that besides making the audience gasp, also reinforces the desperate aura of Isaac's struggle. The sniper who is always called "Hajj" (the name of the American army for Iraqis or Afghans) understands the aesthetic value (calling the poetic military term), likes to read Edgar Allan Poe's verse when Isaac only knows the name Shakespeare (which he probably does not know his work). This is the scene when the colonized invaders are colonized, and the superior looks dwarfed in front of a "barbarian" terrorist, Another case about the psychic aspect. Worrell's sentence is too superficial in order to assemble a compelling mind game. Not to mention casual chatter casually add a layer other than a picture of how Juba is a cold-blooded figure who can be relaxed on the battlefield. But the biggest disadvantage lies in failing to involve the audience in every calculation that Isaac does, eg while doing the calculations in order to find out where Juba is hiding. Worrell neglects to explain the reasons, intentions, and targets of these various activities. Though important for the audience to understand the ins and outs rather than appearing casually, triggering tension, even if you can sympathize with the character.
Pamor Doug Liman as a first-class director of the big-screen spectacle business is no doubt, but like Isaac, he is not yet very good at maximizing simplicity. Tension has arisen occasionally when it comes to a shock-shaped rescue from a script or in a "massive" moment when a bullet whistles. That's why his ending successfully stuck in addition to being encouraged by the presence of a "cruel" surprise that is actually predictable. Liman, however, seems to be a bit of a trick over the limitations. In addition to eliminating musical accompaniment in order to build a raw and realistic impression that does not matter how much, the standard shot option, unable to give intensity in a single location. At least the narration of Liman flows neatly so that it is comfortably followed.
RATING (6/10)
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